That's What Brothers are For
by Hard-As-Bones
Summary: Fili and Kili are out hunting when they run into a pack of wargs, Kili getting injured in the process. When they get back to the Company, things take a turn for the worst. Character Death! Rated T because I'm paranoid.


**A/N: Hello! This is my first fanfic-a Hobbit one at that-so I apologize if I got anything wrong. I hope you enjoy reading :)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Hobbit, I'm just merely playing with them and fitting them in my imagination. **

**Warnings: Character death, angst**

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That's what Brothers are for

They had been scouting for over an hour. Their feet ached with every step and their hunger grew the longer they walked. The woods were eerily silent, except for the hushed breaths that came from two Dwarves. The Dwarves – who were brothers – were sent to hunt some food some time ago.

"Search for anything edible," their uncle said. "Be back before dusk."

The dark haired one giggled as he heard his brother's stomach rumbling. The latter sent a glare towards him, causing him to stifle a laugh with a cough. They walked in silence for a while longer, both of them searching anxiously for any stag or elk they could possibly take back to the company for supper.

They found none.

The dark haired one sighed with annoyance. "Fili, is the forest supposed to be this bare?" he asked his brother. Fili sighed and looked around. "No, Kili. It is not." "Then where is everything?"

Fili was going to answer when they heard several twigs snap. They whirled around, swords and bow ready to strike. Before them, six yards away, was a small pack of growling wargs. Kili tensed when the leader stepped forward, growling more growling within each step. Then, the warg pounced. Kili released his arrow; the shot being true with the arrow imbedded between the creature's eyes. The warg landed with a loud _thud, _blood running from the wound and staining its fur.

Fili swung one of his swards at an upcoming warg, slicing its head clean from its shoulders. Focusing on a warg in front of him, he didn't notice one advancing towards him from behind. As the blond Dwarf finished off the beast, the warg raised a large paw, letting a snarl escape from its lips. Its attack was cut short when the youngest Dwarf tackled it to the ground. It yelped and Kili grunted, rolling away from the creature, his bow sliding from his grip.

Before he could reach it, the creature pounced onto him, clawing at his face. Kili struggled to block the claw, but managed to only get a few scratches on his cheeks.

"Kili!" his brother yelled.

Fili watched as his brother let his guard down a little a looked at him; he made a mistake. Fili ran to his brother, swords in hand, and ran for the warg. But he was too late.

The beast clawed and bit at his torso, Kili's blood staining it's white muzzle. The young Dwarf screamed, the loud noise filling the silent forest. Fili ran faster, stabbing the warg in the head with both blades. Time seemed to slow as he saw his brother, his breathing becoming quick and short. He saw blood spilling from his chest, too fast for his liking. He pushed the warg aside and quickly knelt next to his brother,. Only one thought raced through his mind as he watched Kili's pained face.

_No._

"Kili," he finally whispered out, his voice slightly breaking. "Kili, look at me." Blue eyes met with brown as Kili open his eyes. His breathing was strained and quick, each time being harder and more painful than the last. Kili's weak hand reached and clasped his older brother's shaking one. "I'm going to check the wound, okay, Nadadith?" Kili slowly nodded, taking a shaky breath. The blond did the same while he looked to his chest. Partially dried blood was sticking the cloth to the wound, making it a little harder to get to. "This might hurt a little, Kee," he warned.

The older Dwarf slowly separated the cloth where there was a break. It pulled at the grievance and Kili hissed, squeezing his brother's leg. Fili proceeded and finally managed to separate the cloth from the still bleeding wound. He took in a sharp ball of air as he looked at the damage; large slashes were oozing blood under his ribs, each being deeper than the other, and a hole could be seen under his collar bone. The hole didn't look like a bite from a warg; he looked as if he had been stabbed. The mutilated part f is lower collar bone was also bleeding, but a lot faster than the other injuries.

Fili blinked away the tears that were forming and looked at Kili, whose eyes never left his face. Before his could speak, a voice barely above a whisper caught him off guard.

"Am I going to die, Fee?"

Shacked at his little brother's question, he stared wide-eyed. He had never heard this side of his brother before – frightened, shaken, and exhausted. Kili had been through a lot when they were younger. He had been picked on and beaten up, had witnessed their father's death at a very young age, and saw their mother slowly break down. But he always stayed strong, faced the pain head on, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to break down and cry every once in a while.

And seeing his brother – his responsibility – like this? He didn't know what to do. He swallowed hard and held Kili's hand tightly, afraid that if he let go, he'd disappear. "_No_," he said while trying to muster up as much seriousness as possible. "You're going to be fine. We're going to get back to Uncle Thorin and Oin will patch you up."

Kili tried to smile at his brother's assurance, and stared at Fili's teary blue eyes. "Fee, we both know I won't make it…even if we leave now." He was attacked by a sudden coughing fit, a trail of blood trickling down his pale cheek. A tear escaped from Fili's eye, followed by another. "Don't you say that. You're going to be fine." His voice broke on the last word. He tightened his grip around the raven-haired Dwarf's hand, if that was even possible.

"I'm going to lift you up, Nadadith." Setting a hand on his back and one under his knees, he lifted him up as gently as he could. Kili gasped in pain, clenching his eyes shut and gripped his brother's cloak. "I'm sorry," Fili whispered. He glanced up to the sky, looking beyond the canopy for the sun. Even though it was still high in the sky, he knew it was getting late. He sprinted, praying to Mahal that they would make it in time. It was quiet between the Dwarves, Fili's footsteps being the only sound until Kili's soft voice barely scared Fili out of his skin.

"Thanks, Fili."

"For what?" he questioned, dodging past a bush. He quickly glanced down at Kili, who had a smile on his face. "For being there when I needed you…for being my other half." "That's what brothers are for, Kee."

A tear slipped from Kili's eye and he leaned into his brother's chest, his breath coming in slow. He didn't know what he would do without Fili, who he would've become. He felt exhausted, as if someone stole his energy from him. His eyelids became heavy and he was struggling to keep them open. Fili noticed and panic rose in his throat.

"Kili, keep your eyes focused on me. We're almost there. Please." His blue eyes started to burn with tears as he saw the edge of the forest. Beyond the tree line he could see the form and light of a fire, and the rest of the Company. "Kee, look, I can see Uncle Thorin," when he didn't get a response, he looked to him; he let a strained whimper discharge from him. The younger Dwarf's eyes were closed and his breathing was really slow, almost nonexistent. "No, Kee. Stay with me, please!" He ran faster, finally managing to get out of the forest. He could see Thorin sitting in front of the fire, talking to Balin.

"Uncle Thorin!"

The exiled prince stood up quickly as he heard the pain and sadness in his nephew's voice, Dread crept into his chest as he saw Fili holding an unconscious and pale Kili. Running to them, he noticed Bofur dropping his pipe and Dwalin also rushing towards the brothers. "What happened?!" he asked as he took Kili from his brother, worry written on his features. He carefully laid Kili down onto his bedroll, finally seeing the crimson that stained his tunic. Thorin felt a lump in his throat and the anxiety in is chest. Oin and Balin rushed over, arms full with medical supplies, concern also plastered on their faces. He could hear Bofur trying to calm a panicky Fili, saying things along the lines of "It's not your fault, lad," and "He'll be alright".

A soft hand sat on his shoulder and he jumped at the sudden contact. Bilbo sat next to him, a solemn look on his face. His hazel eyes were glazed were tears, but held a calming gaze. Thorin nodded his thanks and walked over to Fili and Bofur. "Fili," he started. Fili looked up from his hands and Thorin took notice of how bloodshot and red-rimmed his eyes were. Setting his hand on his nephew's shoulder, he asked, "What happened?"

The blond wiped his eyes and sniffled, taking a shaky breath. He was fearful that his uncle would be livid with him for not watching after Kili. "W-we ran into a pack of wargs. Kee tackled one when he noticed it coming at me. His bow was out of reach…and th-the warg slashed and bit at his chest." By this point Fili wasn't getting any air; time seemed to not exist, everything seems to slow and his hearing went missing. All he could see was his uncle and nadad, who was lying still and barely breathing. He stared at Kili's torso for the rise and fall of his chest, but only saw one every six seconds. His line of vision was blocked by Thorin, who was desperately trying to calm him down. His hearing slowly came back and Thorin's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Fili, breathe! Come on, just like me." Fili mimicked his uncle's breathing and viewed into his eyes. The wind blew softly, passing through their hair and allowed the stench of dried blood to creep up their noses. The smell of iron reminded him of what had happened moments ago. He tried to speak, but only groans and whimpers came out. "What is it, Namadinudoy?"

"Kili," was all Fili got out.

He jumped from his seat on a rock and dashed towards his little brother. Lifting his brother's head slowly and gently, he sat down and put his head in his lap. Kili's cheeks were slightly flushed and his breathing had improved, but not much. "Careful, laddie, you don't want to stretch the wound." Balin said as he and Oin packed up the supplies. He nodded slowly while pushing a strand of hair from his little brother's face. "He's going to be okay, right?" he heard Ori ask, and glanced to see all of the Company looking anxiously at Oin and Balin.

He saw Dwalin pat Thorin's shoulder, both having grave looks on their faces.

"Yes," Oin replied with a small smile. "With the right amount of medicine and rest, Kili will be back to normal." Smiles broke out on everyone's face and Bilbo gave a soft laugh, wiping away unshed tears. "Well, that's great!" Bofur said as he picked up and dusted off his pipe. The toymaker had observed Fili's shaking shoulders, how he hid his face and how hard he held Kili's limp hand. He had been around the two since they were mere Dwarflings, and only recalled the oldest acting in such a way when he held a crying Kili after having been told the knowledge o their father's death. And how heart breaking and painful that was.

Forgetting about his pipe at the moment, the older Dwarf made his way over to the blond and knelt beside him, murmuring, "Are you alright, laddie?" He was answered with blue, red-rimmed eyes, tear stained cheeks and – this, he was not expecting – a smile. "Yes. For a moment I thought I had lost my little brother. That gave me a fright." An unexpected whisper had everyone turn their heads. "That's what brothers are for." All eyes turned to the body on the ground in shock. The youngest Dwarf had his eyes opened a crack, eyeing Fili.

"Kili, you're awake!" Fili said, excitedly. "And, surprisingly, alive." Kili added with a grin. Everyone laughed and gathered around the three, Thorin grasping his youngest nephew's other hand. "I thought I lost you." Fili said, stroking his nadadith's hair, soothingly. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Kee."

"Don't you ever worry us like that again." Thorin stated seriously, but everyone saw the smile in his sky blue eyes. The dark haired boy nodded slowly, his eyelids feeling heavy. "Sleep now, young one. You need as much rest as possible." Balin suggested, acknowledging his drooping eyes. Kili opened his mouth to protest, but a yawn escaped. So instead he nodded and glanced up to his older brother's eyes; blue ones never leaving his brown ones.

Blue and brown, like the sky and dirt – as one descends from the heavens to touch the earth.

"I'll be right here," Fili stated as Kili closed his eyes. Bilbo sat next to Thorin as everyone went to set up for the night. The sun's warm light had departed and the night was ascending, meaning the end of another day and the beginning of a new one. The night's breeze was cool and quiet, having everyone in its presence feel a calming sensation engulf them. Yet, a feeling in Fili's gut told them that something wasn't right. But Kili is alive and breathing and on his journey to recovery, so why should he worry? The feeling was getting too overwhelming and he thought he should tell his uncle, but he was talking to Bilbo about what they would do to help the youngest of the Company, so he held it in. The glimmering light he saw in his uncle's eyes gave him hope that maybe, just maybe, this part in their story would have a happy ending.

It wasn't too long before everyone had fallen asleep, Fili deciding to take the first watch. Everything was quiet with Bombur's occasional snoring and the chirping of crickets. The moon's light shone upon the brothers, lighting up Kili's pale face with a faint halo. The wrenching in his stomach was still there – something had to be wrong. He only had this feeling when something horrible was bound to happen. Taking one of his swords, he sat it next to him, preparing for whatever – or whoever – might come out of the forest. He listened for any footsteps and sudden movements, but only heard Kili's fast breaths.

"Kili?"

His brother's breaths were quick and shallow, as if the air was getting ripped from his lungs. His eyes were opened and wide, staring right through Fili. "Kili! Uncle Thorin!" he screamed as Kili coughed and saw blood running from the corner of his mouth. This was it; this was what was wrong. He couldn't believe it, his nadadith was okay just moments ago! Thoughts raced through his mind as he watched the light in his brother's eyes slowly dim.

_No, not him. Not now!_

His hearing became fuzzy, but he could still hear shouting of the other Dwarves and Kili choking on his own blood. Strong, yet gentle arms lifted him from his place and pulled him away. He didn't notice that it was Dwalin, nor the hot tears that ran down his cheeks – he just saw how his brother coughed up dangerously large amounts of blood. This couldn't be happening, Oin said he was alright. Thorin tried his best to hold his youngest nephew still while Oin attended to the wound – which had gotten fatally worse. Bilbo and Bofur tried to help the best they could, but that wasn't much.

Tears continued to fall as Fili struggled to free himself from Dwalin, only having the grip become tighter. "Let me go! Kili!" A strangled sob escaped as he saw Kili go limp and the very slow rise and fall of his chest. Managing to get free from the grasp, he ran towards his sibling, taking a cold hand into his. "Kili? Come on, Kili, stay with me." The archer glanced into the swordsman's eyes as he took a deep breath, blood continuing to flow from the injury and his mouth.

Mustering enough air to speak, he only said four distinct words that made the blond's heart crack into millions of pieces. "Can I sleep now?" Holding back a sob, Fili tightened his grasp and gave a watery smile. In his mind, he was shouting, _Take me, not him, please! _But instead, he wiped away a tear that slid down Kili's cheek and replied, "I'll let you sleep now, brother."

A small smile broke onto the archer's face as he slowly shut his eyes. The oldest brother watched the final rise and fall of his chest, and let free a sob. A broken Thorin advanced towards his heir and embraced him, releasing a few tears of his own. Fili was openly sobbing now, his tears soaking his uncle's tunic and his hands gripping tight, petrified that Thorin would slip away from him, too. "He'll always be with you," Thorin whispered, rubbing comforting circles on his back, watching as the rest of the Company released sad and angry tears.

Sniffling, Fili muttered back, "Because that's what brothers are for."

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**A/N: So, this is the end. It broke my heart to write this, especially the last few paragraphs. Just a reminder that this is my first fanfic (well, one that I've posted on here, anyway). Reviews are appreciated! I hope you enjoyed!**

***Nadad - brother. Nadadith - little brother. Namadinudoy - sister-son***


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